OTTAWA -- If you live in Stittsville you’ve likely seen Alex the fox roaming around. He’s what most consider to be the community mascot.
Wendy Parker has taken his stardom one step further and created an entire set of decorative stones that she calls Fox Rocks.
She places the rocks around trails and bike paths for people to find when they’re out on their daily walk during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are encouraged to snap a picture of their discovery for social media with the hashtag #AlexFoxStones.
The rock hunt has been great for kids in the area.
"The children are not allowed to play in the playground and I thought it would be really great to create a project for them to go looking for stones," says Parker.
For some families it has been a bright spot in their day, taking their mind off what’s happening in the world right now and just letting kids be kids.
Stittsville resident Kirsty Edwards says "it’s just a lot of colour in a time that could be pretty boring. It’s starting to become a little frustrating for the kids in the house, so having something to look forward to is great."
Parker says there are about 60 Fox Rocks scattered all around Stittsville. They take about one hour each to paint, and the locals have really embraced it.
"The sense of community that these rocks bring and seeing the inspirational messages around, it’s really inspiring for us to stay positive and focus on something else other than the quarantine," says Parker.
"It’s been a real pick me up for us."
